The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-07-03
THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL.
A Little Bit of What Started
the California Gold Fever.
IT is TIGHTLY BOTTLED UP
And Carefully Preserved at the
National Museum-A Pros
peetor's Story.

Ma Soiu leYer-the first fever GERMS
at the National museum at Washington,
says the Chicago Mail. It is securely
sealed in little glass bottle, and there
is no longer any danger of contagion. 1t
is little Aattened piece of gold about
the size OF gold dollar. is the piece
found by Marshall while digging mill.
race year before the fever set in. II
was sent direct to The Smithsonian in
August, 1913. The following Is a copy
of the letter that accompanies it:
SAN FRANCISCO, August %, IS4S. - This
paper contains the first piece of gold ever
discovered in the northern part Of Upper
California 1t was found in February lS4S
by James W. Marshall, in the zee of Capta II
John A. Suffers saw mill, about iorty S.st e
miles from suffers Fork, on the south
branch OF the American Fork. It was beaten
out with hammer by Mr. Marshall to test
its malleability. 1t is presented to the Ma
tlonal institute, Washington, D. C.
]. L. FOLSOM
]. L.. Folsom was captain in the
United States service. There are many
pieces of gold in California claimed to
be the first found, but none of them
have the facts in favor of their claim.
The discovery of this piece of gold by
Marshall led to the search for more,
and it was found. TWAS the seed that
up to 1880 had produced ST, 200, 900 600 in
gold. Prior to this discovery Indians
and few missionary priests had been
collecting some gold in other parts OF
the State, but this was the very first
piece found N the gold belt, and it led
to the great rush TO California in 49,
DIR. K. NJ. Dawes, the dentist of West
Washington, was one of the forty miners
who started out from Washington. He
was talking over the matter with a Star
reporter. "a party of u.s." he said,
took sailing vessel at Baltimore in
March, and we were seven months and
fourteen days making the trip to San
Francisco. There were my brother and
ex-senator Sargent, then local repor-
ter in Washington, one or two other
Washington boys, and myself, and there
were quite number of others from Bal.
tlmore to make up the party. That was
the way Sargent first went to the State
he afterwards represented il the Senate
We had pretty hard voyage. The
captain of the vessel treated MS so badly
that when we got 20 Rio de Janeiro we
complained to the consul and had him
removed. This caused delay OF four
teen days Then at Valparaiso we had
TO unload steam engine and other
cargo, which caused delay OF twelve
days more. 1t was very weary voy-
age before we got to San Francisco.
Sargent did not go all the way with Us.
He got of at Valparaiso, and from there
sailed TO San Francisco in another yes
sci. / remember that he studied Span
lsh all the way from Baltimore to Rio
de Janeiro.
when we arrived at San Francisco
several of our party who were carpen-
tiers stopped there. They got $40 a day
for working at their trade there, and
thought it better than taking chances in
the mines. There were six in nv party
who went into prospecting. Everything
was fever and excitement there then.
All sorts of sensational reports of big
finds were circulated, but there was
not as much outlawry IS many people
suppose. In San Francisco there was
gambling. 1t was not
much of a city then. All the buildings
were frame, and the gambling houses
we're like the frame barracks they put
up for soldiers. The canning rooms in
the front and the bar in the rear.
Gamblers would pay $50 a night for
each table. They never counted the |
money, but just stacked it up on the |
able and measured in that way. The |
gamblers were the only men who wore |
White shirts.
There were no courts, If man
an offense in the diggings he
vas tried by twelve men selected for the |
occasion, and their decisions were |
prompt and just. For that reason there
we're few crimes committed. Our gold
vas left IN the camp without any one 10
'uard 1t, and it was never stolen.
would sometimes leave days diggings
u q pan out IN. the sun to dry. No one
yer disturbed it,, For serious crimes
he jury of twelve would hang man
or petty larceny they would horseWhipi
i'm and give him twenty-four hours to
et out of camp. If q man sunk q pit
nd threw pick and shovel in it, he ,
ould go on prospecting, and if be re-
1rned at any time within ten DAYS he ,
'ould find his claim to.the diggings re- !
pected.
when our party landed, = he contin- ,
ed, I'VE went to Sacramento, where ne
DIT three yoke of oxen and a wagon :
lat had come overland, and started :
T the diggings, well stocked with pro- :
sions. We went first to South Fork, :
len to North Fork, or Feather River. :
here was so much mud that we had 10 y
,andon our cattle and wagon and carry =
If packs on our backs. We did pretty :, =
I'll, but was sick and had to keep out
the trenches and give up mining for
7hile. When we dissolved partner
ip at North Fork a sack of -four fell 10 ~
Y share and l sold it for $500. | then | A,
ught boat and gun and shot quail n,
d jack rabbits and sold them in San
rncisco. Quail brought 81 and So per
zen dead. and $12 alive, and jack raS-
s 81 and IS each. The second time | y
mt back to San Francisco the cholera h,
IS raging there. Men were dropping =
ed like sheep. If
i went to the diggings again. and We bC
me across big rock ct Middle Fork Ol
Inding high out of the water, which sI
lirled in swift eddy around il. We
ew if there was any gold in this local
II would be right in this eddy. 60
filed bags with sand, made dam 70 n,
n the water aside. so that We could ~
at it. The very first dip of my pan - -
ought up S21s worth of gold. After ~
rkiDg there a week we divided up =;
j each got 5000 ss his share. There ~
re six OF US. =;
After We got that hole worked out =.
began on the high banks. and IL =.